Day One at Lady Shri Ram College for Women

22^nd July 2013

Early morning wake up, a flight over the stunning mountain-scape of Kashmir, arrival in 36 degree Delhi and an hour getting lost on Delhi’s smoggy flyovers with a taxi driver.

I trudged into Lady Shri Ram (LSR) on Monday to be informed I was a day early and had to find my own accommodation. My arrival at the college felt quite humorous at the time but looking back on it, it is even funnier. Frustrated from the taxi ride and carrying twenty kilos on my back and my front I trudged into college in full trekking gear. I was dusty and my boots suddenly felt huge as I walked into the reception office to find myself surrounded by neatly dressed parents and college girls. Perched on wicker chairs, wiping foreheads with handkerchiefs, doing business on shiny smart phones.

The receptionist told me to wait. No explanation, just wait. So I sat in the Visitors’ Room amongst my towering backpacks receiving funny glances and developing a graceful sweat patch on my back. I felt more than slightly out of place and everyone else seemed to think so too. Compared to the silk sarees, well-pressed whites and shiny Ray Bans of the waiting families, my lone presence and array of crumpled clothes – actually I think I had my yak wool vest around my waist too – I suppose I don’t blame them for the glances I received. So I occupied myself by rummaging through my backpack and reading the LSR Powerful Women publication; Aung San Suu Kyi and a range of impressive Indian feminists, Bollywood stars, economists and NGO heads all brought me a sense of anticipation for the education I was about to receive and a slight sense of intimidation.

A view of LSR with the metro passing on by

After an hour I realised the receptionist was pointedly ignoring me so I went to pester her. It worked and Sanjay, the International Office admin guy, came to greet me at around one pm. Admittedly it did not feel like much of a greeting because rather than being relieved of my backpacks and shown to a cool shower, which was all I wanted by that time, I was politely informed I was a night early. Sorry ma’am you can’t stay, if you want I can help you find an auto (rickshaw). Where to? Sorry ma'am, I don't know where you can stay tonight.

Spot one of our neighbourhood cows in her favourite hang out zone.
This is what I step out into the moment I leave the gates of LSR, so you might imagine how daunting it was to begin with.

The view across the road to Zamrudpur and more cows

Feeling dejected and a bit stuck without a phone I managed to get onto Emma and Jordy, the two other exchange girls who would be staying outside college in their own accommodation. At two thirty I reached their place in Saket (one hour away in the auto) after bargaining down their B&B owner to 500 rupees for a night on a dorm bed. I was frustrated by the situation and after my 300 rupee, three-person room overlooking the mountains of Leh, 500 rupees for a dinghy dorm room didn’t help.

Things began to look up as I got my cool shower, ate my first meal of the day (a delicious paneer tikka role), chatted to the girls about our respective trips up in Himachal Pradesh and finally lay down and forgot about my bags. In the evening we went out to Hauz Khas, a place I hadn’t heard of but would soon come to frequent, and ended up having a bigger night out than anticipated. Waking up at two pm the next day I felt prepared for Day One, Take Two at LSR.